Gyokeres’ angry reaction at Saka after Arsenal teammate refuses to pass

Arsenal overcame the challenge of Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening but it should have been a far more routine win for the Gunners than it was.

Arsenal will take a 3-2 aggregate lead back to the Emirates for the second leg of their semi-final and they will rightfully feel a bit disappointed by that scoreline.

Goals from Ben White, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi sealed the win but Liam Rosenior’s men fought back twice through Alejandro Garnacho.

Mikel Arteta’s side had a host of second-half chances to put the game to bed but ultimately left Stamford Bridge with just a goal advantage. Still, there were positives to take, most notably the performances of Zubimendi and Gyokeres.

How Gyokeres played against Chelsea

It’s safe to say that Arsenal’s big-money summer investment has been a disaster so far.

While Arteta may well explain that he’s delighted with the Swede’s displays, the fact of the matter is that he is not scoring enough goals. Gyokeres did find the net on Wednesday, scoring his eighth in Arsenal colours, but it was his first from open play since November when he bagged against Burnley.

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Some might say ‘well it was only a tap in’, but the striker’s performance was more than just his goal. Indeed, this was one of his best displays for the Gunners yet, also doing brilliantly to assist Zubimendi’s goal.

Gyokeres has worked selflessly for the team since joining. He pins centre-backs brilliantly and runs the channels admirably. However, his currency is goals. He needs more of them.

That said, speaking after the game, pundit Jamie Redknapp believes that Arsenal’s wingers are to blame.

He said on Sky Sports: “A lot of the time, the crosses he would’ve been getting [at Sporting] predominantly would’ve been from a right-footed right wing-back and a left-footed left wing-back.

“When he plays for Arsenal, the major problem is Bukayo Saka plays on the right and he’s left-footed. So, when Bukayo gets into that position, instead of firing it across the face of goal, he wants to chop back.”

That point was rubberstamped by the phase of play in the build-up to Gyokeres’ goal.

Saka got down the right and had an opportunity to slide the ball across the box where the former Sporting forward was waiting. Instead, the Arsenal number 7 delayed things and cut back inside.

Fortunately, the next phase proved decisive as Ben White’s cross somehow squirmed through Robert Sanchez, leaving Gyokeres with an empty net to score into.

Blaming Saka for the Swede’s form may well feel extreme but there has been a sense for a number of months now that the club’s most creative players could be doing more to provide him with goalscoring opportunities.